During a recent briefing on the end of their current financial year, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced that they will be rolling out a pre-download service on both Wii U and 3DS in the near future. As the name would suggest, this functionality will allow players to download and install a large portion of a digitally pre-ordered game before its official launch date, therefore alleviating stress on the company’s servers for big titles and helping fans get their hands on digital versions much faster than was previously possible.
Nintendo has chosen Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as the first game to take advantage of this new service, which is perhaps the best way to test it outside of a Mario title due to the series’ immense popularity.
Iwata also mentioned that the service will be accessible via download cards sold at physical retails.
As higher internet speeds can be rather pricey, this is also a great way to cater to those with slower download speeds and help them jump into new games much sooner.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is scheduled to launch in North America on November 21, with releases planned for Europe and Japan on November 28 and December 6, respectively. No details have been shared as to when it will be available to pre-order digitally.
Source: Nintendo via Chris Kohler